4 Foods to Avoid When You Get Braces

If you have crooked teeth, the best option may be to get braces. However, it is important to understand that braces come with certain restrictions. While you are undergoing orthodontic treatment, the metal brackets and wires can suffer damage, and your teeth and gums are more susceptible to inflammation and tooth decay due to trapped food. Now, there are some foods that are riskier than others, so to ensure that your teeth and braces are safe, here are four foods that you should avoid while undergoing orthodontic treatment.

Whole Apples

It is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet; however, certain fruits and vegetables can be damaging to your braces, especially if you eat them whole. For example, if you bite into a whole apple, it can put a lot of pressure onto the brackets and wires of your braces. Rather than eating whole fruits and vegetables, cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces to protect your braces.

Candy

When wearing braces, one of the worst choices of foods that you can eat is candy—especially hard, sticky candy. Sticky candy like caramel and taffy can get stuck behind your wires and brackets, while hard candy can cause a bracket or wire to pop off. If you want to still enjoy sweets while undergoing your orthodontic treatment, stick to soft sweets like pudding and ice cream.

Ice

So many people like to chew ice, but this is a big no-no when you have braces. Ice is incredibly hard, and it can damage your braces similar to how whole fruits and vegetables can. Make sure that you are cautious when drinking beverages with ice. Whenever possible, choose crushed ice or the small cubed ice. Regardless of the ice that you select, it is ideal if you don't chew on it.

Popcorn

Regardless of whether you have braces, popcorn is one of those foods that can get stuck in between your teeth and be difficult to remove. However, when you have braces, things get even more challenging. In some cases, you may even remove one of your brackets when trying to dislodge a kernel. The same is true of corn on the cob. If you want to enjoy corn, make sure that you cut it off the cob before eating it. As for popcorn, there is really no way around it; just resist it until you get your braces off!

For more foods that you should avoid while you have braces, talk to your orthodontist, like those at Eberting Orthodontics.

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22 January 2019

About Me

The average dentist takes many client appointments each day and also deals with emergency situations on a regular basis. Dental emergencies are very common because people are likely to put off having tooth pain fixed until the pain becomes unbearable. Some people have anxiety about dental visits, and others are trying to avoid the expense of dental care. In either case, the end result is often a dental emergency. I have worked as a professional dental hygienist for many years and have seen all types of dental emergencies. I hope that this blog will help people identify potential emergencies before they become too serious and will allow people to know when to get help.